Facebook's Nearby Friends  has just been launched, but the company has already admitted the feature will eventually be used for advertising purposes.

Nearby Friends (and brands)

Nearby Friends is a new feature for iOS and Android that allows Facebook users to share their exact location in real time.

Facebook explains Nearby Friends will help users connect with pals who a close by, while the feature is opt-in and only available to users aged 18 year and above.

Data capture

According to an article in Tech Crunch, an unnamed Facebook spokesperson has confirmed that while Nearby Friends is not currently being used for marketing and advertising, it will be.

This data will presumably be gleaned from the “Location History” feature in Nearby Friends, which is used to build a profile of users' mobile habits.

It's easy to see how a bricks and mortar retailer could benefit from sending nearby customers specials to increase foot traffic.

Push notifications vs privacy

While Nearby Friends is currently only rolling out in the US at this stage, it provides an interesting look into how Facebook advertising is evolving.

The next step will be convincing users the privacy trade-offs are worth more tailored content – and ads.

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